Pakistani conferred with British Empire Medal for feeding homeless people

LONDON (Lahore Mirror) – The British government has honoured Ehsan Shahid Choudhry – who is a British Pakistani charity worker – with a British Empire Medal (BEM) for feeding needy and homeless people through his “Open Kitchen” initiative in Hounslow area of London.

Choudhry’s Open Kitchen in West London has fed tens of thousands of people in the last many years. For his services, he has been acknowledged in the first King’s Birthday Honours List 2023 for his contributions to the UK’s charitable sector. He is not only a charity worker but is also a prolific Urdu language poet and columnist who has contributed to Daily Jang.

The award comes in recognition of Choudhry’s efforts to feed almost 500 homeless, refugees and needy people every day from the Open Kitchen base near Hounslow. The award was established by King George V in 1917 to honour those who had served in a non-combative role and made contributions to arts, sciences, charitable work and public service. The OBE also includes the British Empire Medal presented to those who have contributed to service in their community.

In 2018, Choudhry launched The Open Kitchen, a service through which low-income families can get free lunch throughout the year.

The charity focuses operates in London and Nottingham, home to some of the most deprived communities in the country, according to its website. Through the food kitchen, the charity is able to serve 500 meals a day to needy families. With a team of almost 30 volunteers, The Open Kitchen runs across the week in both cities.

Food poverty has become a growing problem in the UK with many now struggling to put food on the table, said a report presented in the UK parliament last week.

It stated that in 2021/22, 4.7 million people, or 7 percent of the UK population were in food poverty, including 12 percent children. The situation has been aggravated due to rising food prices which have gone up by 19 percent between April 2022 and 2023, according to the report.

An earlier survey by the Food Foundation think tank reported the number of UK children in food poverty has nearly doubled in the last year to almost four million. The survey reported that one in five households was skipping meals, going hungry or not eating for a whole day in January, up from 12 percent at the same time in 2022.

“I have been honoured with the BEM for my services to the community in the London Borough of Hounslow. I am thankful to His Majesty King Charles for honouring me with the British Empire Medal (BEM) for my services to the local community. Serving those in need is always an honour. I will continue to make every effort to carry out my duties to the best of my ability,” said the co-founder of The Open Kitchen while commenting after receiving prestigious BEM.

“Since I was a child growing up in Pakistan, my parents and teachers taught me to always help others and that’s a value I have carried with me and cherished. We feed hundreds of people daily and we will continue to do that with support from the community.”

Choudhry started the Open Kitchen around six years ago with help from a charity. The initiative immediately turned into a success story of community service among residents of the area as hundreds started flocking to the place for hot meals, twice a day, from a buffet of fresh meat, fish, vegetarian options, fruit, pudding, and various condiments.